The Paradise
by Salvatore Di Giovanna
For the next week or so you can expect to hear a lot about Pisces. We’ve already heard about Chiron entering Pisces, and now it’s the Sun’s turn.
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The Sun enters Pisces on February 19th at 26 minutes after midnight, Universal (+0) Time.
We generally think of the Sun as a light of incandescent brilliance. In Pisces, it’s tone is far more muted. Gentler, one might say…but if you’re thinking that means a Pisces Sun is weak, think again!
Sure, Pisces isn’t generally as daring as Aries or as feisty as Sagittarius. It’s not a punctual and meticulous as Virgo or as practical as Capricorn.
But Pisces knows. Piscean intuition and ability to comprehend…almost effortlessly….is famous. Maybe even infamous!
The third of the zodiac signs which has two rulers, Pisces starts with Jupiter, symbol of knowledge – which is to say that we have and that we don’t have but seek…and maybe plain old don’t have (period)!
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Sun enters Pisces - February 19, 2011
Like all dual-ruler signs, the first ruler symbolizes how we get into the situation – in this case, the Pisces situation. In Scorpio, desire to ‘have more’ or ‘make something happen’ (which we’ll benefit from) gets us in the door. It’s an active choice – and Mars is the first ruler there. In Aquarius, the issue is trying to build or accomplish something – usually social or societal acceptance, success of the ‘making it work’ type, or plain old everyday income.
If you understand those ideas, you right away understand the catch when it comes to Things Piscean. It’s the overconfident, hasty ‘I can’t lose!’ choice which gets us into trouble in Scorpio. Scorpio is interactive water. It’s about emotions which function in a me/them arena…you get into something, it works out the way you want it to or crunches you terribly and you come out at the Pluto (secondary ruler) end feeling really rewarded or really crushed.
And yes, ‘end’ works for Pluto, I know. It rules elimination….of all types!
With Pisces, the arena changes. We’re still talking water and thus emotion, but Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac and operates at the global or universal level. This is the biggest of big pictures…our fantasy world – literally and figuratively.
But like all fantasies, the first and last rule is knowing where reality is and where fantasy starts and ends. Those who ignore this rule or who try to substitute fantasy for reality are those who run into Piscean big-time trouble.
In Pisces, we try out our fantasies. We test our faith in our own ability to weather our emotions and are confronted with the actuality of having to deal with our own emotions.
Thus Pisces rules elation and disappointment, ecstasy and despair.
Oh…and one other thing: when you enter the realm of fantasy, the admittance is to check your ego at the door. Those who can’t do this automatically flunk Pisces 101.
Obviously there are a lot of dangers which come with Pisces. Realm of gurus, martyrs, charity workers, addicts, those who nurture others through their troubles and those who end up in prison, Pisces tests whether we KNOW our limits.
Oh yeah…that Jupiter thing.
(You thought I forgot?)
The Jupiter/Neptune balance which is so Pisces (two fish, two planets) is highly apt. Jupiter says you must know. Neptune says you must not care.
The combination equals faith. Or acceptance. And this is what we experience tests of and failures of while the Sun (life, will) passes through Pisces.
But let’s not forget…as the Sun enters Pisces, it will meet up with a little ol’ centaur asteroid named Chiron. Given that Chiron embodies the concept that we must do the thing we don’t know how to do (and learn as we go), this suggests that as the Sun enters Pisces on February 18th or 19th (depending on where you are) there is a moment of confrontation.
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Nature et Architecture
by Clo Baril
It may feel like you’re being confronted by external forces. But you’re not. No matter who or what is getting in your face (or under your skin, etc.) the real issue is that of needing to deal with You. You don’t want to confront something and thus you rebel, are repelled, want to retreat, are tempted to escape or, or, or….
We all have our own ways of coping. Or not coping, depending!
There’s a suggestion of how this is going to work now - and more or less throughout the Sun’s transit of Pisces – given by it’s co-rulers, Jupiter and Neptune here. Jupiter is at 5 Aries and Neptune is at 28 Aquarius.
Aries is the sign of Self, Jupiter is knowing, and any degree between 0 and 9 of any sign is about what we do or our physical experience of that sign.
So this is either what you’re doing/not doing (maybe preparing to do) with your life…or it’s about how you’re doing. Or how well you’re doing (health).
Against this we have Neptune. Sitting in a sign all about societal influence and social acceptance, income and systems of doing things/making things work, Neptune is in a degree which by any estimation is going to operate in terms of what others think.
Approval. Disapproval. Rejection. Fitting in. Getting the response you want. Giving up.
These are all possible reactions to this time…and to rocky moments during the month of the Sun transiting Pisces. But if you remember one thing…then you can keep things within bounds.
And what’s that one thing?
It’s that prime Pisces lesson: check your ego at the door. This means don’t have expectations. This means live in the moment. This means accept reality and enjoy what you have and the fact that you’re alive and breathing and able to think of what life is and is about.
The big mistake with any transit of Pisces is trying to “make” something be what you want. Do that and you’ll meet up with defeat more often than not.
So if others like you – great. If they approve of you, that may be their lack of good taste, it may be that you filled out the form incorrectly – but it is what it is. Accept it. Move on. Those who can do so reasonably gracefully will find they earn more respect and good will by accepting than by fighting.
Pisces tolerates some snippiness (especially that done for playful, dramatic effect) and be forewarned: Pisces is the sign of tsunami crying fits and the occasional giant whale slap-in-the face! But heated grudges and anger? That which is based on the ego-driven concept of knowing what you think you deserve is not Pisces. Hurt someone's feelings and you'll hear about it. But the fight won't be about ego - it'll be about injury.
And that's a big difference.
As for what you deserve? Hey – maybe you do deserve everything you want! But if Person A didn’t give you the right answer, maybe you need to ask Person B? Maybe...just maybe...could you have asked the wrong person? If you didn't get a 'yes' when that's what you were going for, doesn't it stand to reason that that's the crux of the problem? The right person says yes. So if someone said wrong, you asked the wrong person.
Right? Okay - you don't like it....but....right?
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Princess Parizade Bringing Home the Singing Tree
by Maxfield Parish (1889)
Whatever your weakness is in the Ego Department (and we all have a couple of soft spots!) this moment is likely to find your vulnerable underbelly. Try not to be ashamed or embarrassed. You can laugh it off if you like, but don’t deny what comes up now. The moment, the situation – it may or may not be important for what it is.
But the feelings?
Those matter. And that’s what you shouldn’t try to hide or hide from.
The next item of note on February 19th is the fact that TNO Huya is going retrograde today. That it's doing so at 17 Scorpio underscores the idea that something ‘emotionalizing’ is in the cards now.
This is an odd degree, 17 Scorpio. It speaks of deeply buried resentments and frustrations which (of course!) we tend to project on others.
But our life is just not their fault! Some things in our life are just what life is. Some things in our life are things we need to accept. Some things in life – and here we come to shades of Sun conjunct Chiron – are facts about ourselves which we have trouble dealing with!
If you can, admit your hard times. That this is also the date when TNO Chaos goes direct gives us not only reason to think but the promise that there are solutions and ideas and inspirations and resources out there which we haven't even dreamed of thinking of as yet!
So don't get all frizzled. This isn't the moment to go around making a big federal ‘poor me’ case, though it is a time when you may need a little support! And the flip side of this is that this would also be a time when (particularly given Chaos going direct) some support and supportive ideas may indeed do you a lot of good.
They could be just what you need to spur your own thinking - that spark which lights a new fire!
So don't get all frizzled. This isn't the moment to go around making a big federal ‘poor me’ case, though it is a time when you may need a little support! And the flip side of this is that this would also be a time when (particularly given Chaos going direct) some support and supportive ideas may indeed do you a lot of good.
They could be just what you need to spur your own thinking - that spark which lights a new fire!
And yet...the vulnerability should be treasured. That we feel it is another way of saying and realizing that we can be touched. And that means we're alive. In our modern day and age it’s shocking – for all the talk about relationships – but most of us aren’t used to being truly close or open with other people.
You may need someone. And someone may need you. Through connecting, we have a splendid Sun-Chiron opportunity to indeed come to know (Jupiter) and accept (Neptune) ourselves better through venturing into our personal (Chiron) unknown.
Try checking your ego at the door for this day or so....
Who knows - you may find you don’t much need it when you leave!
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